Features

T he effectiveness of state enterprise zone programs, which offer tax abatements and other incentives for businesses to expand or move to economically blighted areas, remains a source of debate more than 20 years after states began creating them.         Some state programs – like the Empire Zone program in New York, […]

I t’s less than a year before 10 new countries join the European Union, as the accession votes succeed like so many dominoes falling in a line. But they are not the only places active in attracting corporations: heretofore undervalued E.U. nations and the group of nations slated to arrive next are all making a […]

T he struggling economy battered the industrial real estate market over the past year and created opportunities for companies working to re-configure their supply chains. Many companies are taking advantage of these opportunities in the hopes of stealing a march on their competitors once the economy regains its balance.         Despite a […]

T he experts agree. “Incentives will never make the wrong location right,” remarks Jay Biggins, managing director of Stadtmauer Bailkin Biggins LLC, an economic development consulting services firm based in Princeton, NJ.         “Incentives do not drive a project, but they are definitely a factor in the final decision making,” says Kathleen […]

I ndustrial activity south of the Rio Grande and north of the Great Lakes tends to rise and fall with the U.S. economy. In Mexico, border regions are beginning to benefit from optimistic manufacturers hopeful of a break in U.S. economic doldrums. Up north, regional organizations are working to alleviate traffic headaches and improve infrastructure. […]

W hoever said that Americans can’t build good cars hasn’t taken a tour lately through the heart of the United States.         From Michigan to Alabama, factories churn out millions of popular, high-quality vehicles every year. And the proof isn’t just in record sales numbers and customer satisfaction reports. It also comes […]

C ome on down and do a sale-leaseback right now. Get a high price; pay a low rent. Hurry. This is a limited time offer.         For the past year or so, investors across the board have been re-evaluating their commitments to the stock and bond markets, sizing up alternative investments, and […]

ver the past 30 months, United Technologies Corporation has slashed $40 million from its 58 million-sq.-ft. (5.4-million-sq.-m.) domestic real estate portfolio, thanks to the help of a strategic alliance with United Systems Integrators Corp. (USI) of Stamford, Conn. Today, USI is expanding its efforts to include United Technologies’ international portfolio. All told, USI is now […]

R anked by Site Selection as the third-best state in the nation in attracting new and expanded corporate facilities, New York is experiencing a resurgence across its business communities. Governor George Pataki’s lower tax policies and investments in promoting high-tech, industrial, and transportation projects have tremendously helped the state recover from the devastating affects of […]

C all it coincidence, but much attention is being given of late to the importance of competitiveness in the context of economic development, including here at Site Selection. No fewer than three new resources are suddenly at the disposal of corporate real estate executives and others charged with selecting the best location in which to […]

Visteon Builds Facility in France Automotive supplier Visteon has invested 30 million euros (US$33 million) in its new factory next to the PSA Peugeot-Citroen assembly plant in Noyal/Chatillon-sur-Seiche near Rennes, France. The 177,600-sq.-ft. (16,500-sq.-m.) facility will support current and future business with PSA. The plant will employ 400 at full production, manufacturing and assembling HVAC […]

“‘T'” is for Texas,” goes the ancient country twanger.         But “T” is for a lot of other things, too – Tundra and prime-time truck turf, for example – in explaining Toyota’s decision to locate its 2,000-employee, US$800-million plant in San Antonio, Texas.         The assembly operation will annually […]

  Palm Harbor Program Highlights Proficiency and Profitability Here are some highlights of the highly successful IAMC Professional Forum held April 6?9 in Palm Harbor, Fla., covered by the Site Selection team of Director of Publications Ron Starner, Editor Mark Arend and Executive Editor of Interactive Publishing Jack Lyne. Look for further coverage at www.iamc.org. […]

A s much as any multinational corporation, United Technologies Corp. (UTC) embraces both new and traditional industrial economies. The Hartford, Conn.-based company’s range of subsidiaries extends from the legendary Otis Elevator to its International Fuel Cells division, as well as including Pratt & Whitney, Carrier and Hamilton Sundstrand. All of these operations add up to […]

W ith the Site Selection Competitiveness Awards having been created to honor state economic development teams, our Top Groups designation has been reserved for those metro, town and county teams that are so often at the nexus of any deal. Why? Because they literally know the lay of the land better than anybody else.   […]

T he sun had already set on the Alabama State Capitol on April 1, 2002, when then-Gov. Don Siegelman received the phone call that would change Montgomery forever.         Dong Jin Kim, president and CEO of Korea-based Hyundai Motor Co., was on the other end of the line. Governor, he said, I […]

“C harles McSwain is a master,” CSX Real Estate President Stephen Crosby has said.         But McSwain, a vice president at both CSX Real Property and CSX Realty Development LLC, deflects praise to others on his team such as colleagues Crosby and Randy Evans, CSX Transportation vice president of real estate and […]

O ABOVE: In January 2003, crucial green lights from both the city council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enabled brownfield redevelopment work to move forward on this bundle of some 250 former industrial properties along the Rio Salado in downtown Tempe, Ariz. – the largest piece of undeveloped land left in the entire city. […]

O ut of the old. Into the new.         Despite rising vacancy rates in the industrial property sector – from 8.3 percent in 2001 to more than 10 percent at the end of 2002 – corporations are bypassing existing space and ordering new built-to-suit warehouses.         At First Industrial […]

I llinois has broken archrival Michigan’s five-year claim to having the most new and expanded facilities in a calendar year – by just three projects. The 2002 almost-tie is testament to the Midwest’s economic strength; Ohio and Indiana also made the Top 10 list.         Illinois, however, like virtually all states, saw […]

I n a repeat of 2001’s one-two finish, Chicago and Detroit head up Site Selection‘s list of top U.S. metropolitan areas for new and expanded facilities in 2002. While the order and the approximate winning margin are the same as last year, the pace was off considerably. Both metros were off by about 300 total […]

W ith 591 projects, the transportation industry again dominated the rankings of top new and expanded U.S. manufacturing facilities by industry sector in 2002. The headlines were led by the new Hyundai plant in Alabama, and backed by just-as-major plant expansions, including three in the top 10 from Michigan. It marked the fourth consecutive year […]

T he rest of the world is doing just fine, thank you.         That’s the message coming through loud and clear when analyzing the thousands of new projects that located somewhere outside the United States in 2002. And the rest of the world that’s achieving the most is made up of countries […]